


Veterans Day

by Ifwecansparkle



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Gen, Mentions of War, One-Shot, SPG, Veterans Day, drabble-y
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-27
Updated: 2012-12-27
Packaged: 2017-11-22 15:41:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/611439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ifwecansparkle/pseuds/Ifwecansparkle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one really knows how to thank them. Or to get them through the day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Veterans Day

**Author's Note:**

> Written to satisfy a desire to know how the bots dealt with Veterans Day.

 

They observe the day with quiet respect. No one mentions it, but everyone feels it. Walter Manor is uncomfortably quiet, but everyone is afraid to break the silence. The Bots stay out of sight. Annie feels over it and starts preparing a nice dinner in an attempt to lure them out. Quesadillas aren't particularly patriotic sounding, but the boys seem to like them, and she wants to see them smiling on this day of all days. If the smell doesn't bring them out she'll send Michael to find them. She's already reminded Peter Six to be on his best behavior.

Halfway through the day a phone call comes in and Steve answers. It's someone calling in desperation, a manically cheerful woman whose entertainment for a Veteran's Day picnic, more a social opportunity than a day of respect, has fallen through. She trills that she knows the Bots' history and would be "just as pleased as punch" If they would perform their "cute little act. My granddaughter saw them in the park one day and she says they're just lovely."

Steve is outraged and ends up shouting that she must not "know them too damn well or--" before Michael captures the phone and barks "previous engagement, please don't call again," before hanging up with a sigh.

"Sick," Steve growls.

Michael bites at his lip and says "Annie will be calling us for dinner soon," and disappears. He checks all the usual haunts the robots frequent, and is perplexed to find them unoccupied. He is on the verge of concern when he he goes to The Hall of Wides and heads a faint "Come in," just before he asks permission. When he enters, The Spine and HatchWorth are sitting on the floor. The Jon's head rests in HatchWorth's lap, and Rabbit's rests in The Spine's. They are both in stasis. HatchWorth's hand combs absently through The Jon's curls, and The Spine's fingers rest protectively on Rabbit's back. Michael doesn't care to ask how The Jon got there, and he doesn't need to ask why. It feels right.

"Hello, Mister Reed," The Spine says with a tired smile. Michael smiles back, feeling like he's intruding.

"Annie's made dinner."

"Thanks. We'll wake them up," The Spine says with a bob of his head which looks so almost, almost human. He sounds like he would rather let them sleep.

"No rush," Michael says. And he's about to leave. But he stops and looks back and says "Thank you."

HatchWorth and The Spine both quirk eyebrows at him. "For what?" The Spine asks. And maybe it's just because he's not used to it, but he looks truly confused.

Michael doesn't know what to say. So he just smiles and says "For everything."

The bots smile back.


End file.
